Portal Login:
  • Clients
  • Providers
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
    Portal Login:
  • Clients
  • Providers
  • About MCN
  • Careers
  • MCNTalk
  • Contact Us

MCN | Medical Consultants Network

The Power of a Second Look

  • Services
    • Independent Medical Examinations
    • Medical Peer Reviews
    • Bill Review Services
    • Utilization Reviews
  • Expertise
    • Short and Long-Term Disability
    • Workers’ Compensation
    • Auto/PIP/Casualty/Liability
    • Independent Review Organization Services
  • For Clients
  • For Providers
  • Your Exam
    • About Your Exam
    • About Your External Review
    • Contact & Scheduling
  • Schedule Now
  • About MCN
  • MCNTalk
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

MCNTalk
News, Insights & Opinions

Home / MCNTalk / Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina fights hospitals an...

July 20, 2012

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina fights hospitals and providers for overcharging patients

Blue Cross Blue Shield seems to be on the forefront of health news lately and it seems they are especially  interested in reducing waste in the health industry. Last week BCBS of North Carolina entered into a high-stakes battle with the state’s hospitals, doctors and medical professionals saying “providers were overcharging patients and their insurers by $16 million dollars.”

Blue Cross is claiming that providers are “unbundling” procedures like radiology imaging and blood and urine test procedures and charging an identical fee for every image taken or for multiple tests done to the blood/urine even though there was only one procedure conducted.

In the article, “Blue Cross battles NC hospitals, health care providers over ‘wasteful’ radiology charges,” Gerard Anderson, director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Hospital Finance, called the radiology billing method a classic example of “unbundling,” a widespread practice in which hospitals and other medical providers bill multiple times for a service that in reality is provided only once.

The uninsured and underinsured are the patients hurt worst by the practice, Anderson said. “If you don’t have someone negotiating on your behalf, they’re going to unbundle to the maximum extent possible,” he said. This radiology dispute is a small but revealing example of how arcane billing practices can drive up health care costs, which have been rising faster than inflation, even during the Great Recession. In particular, major urban hospitals in North Carolina have made record profits in recent years, raising their prices each year and exerting growing market power to negotiate higher payments from insurance companies. Read More…

47.608945-122.332015

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Email
  • More
  • Facebook
  • Reddit
  • Print

Tagged: Cost Containment, Legal Issues Leave a Comment

Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Recent Posts

  • The Quality Divide: What Makes a Quality IME Physician?
  • The Quality Divide: Is Your Vendor Driving IME Excellence?
  • The Quality Divide: When and How to Request an IME?
  • April Clinic Calendars Are Available
  • MCN’s Client Portal Login Page is Changing

Archives

Footer


  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn

Quick Links

  • Services
  • Expertise
  • About MCN
  • Careers

Division Headquarters

MCN
1200 5th Ave., Ste. 650
Seattle, WA 98101

See all offices

Email Us

General Inquiries: info@mcn.com
Sales & Marketing: marketing@mcn.com

Call Us

206.343.6100
800.248.6269

© Copyright 2023 Mitchell International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap